Teen dies after parents allegedly try to ‘teach him a lesson’ by forcing him to drink

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URIE, Wyoming – A teen has died after his parents allegedly forced him to drink Fireball and Jack Daniels Whiskey to teach him a lesson about drinking.

According to New York Daily News, Paulette Richardson and her husband Joseph Richardson have been charged with involuntary manslaughter after her son Kendal Ball, 16, died of alcohol poisoning.

Joseph Richardson

Paulette Richardson

Ball wanted to drink over the last three years, according to court records. In an effort to teach him a lesson, they gave him several shots over a two-hour period. Ball’s biological father was an alcoholic, so they wanted him to see the hazards of alcohol.

After drinking, Ball’s parents put him to bed and when they went to check on him a few hours later, he was blue and unconscious.

After EMTs transported Ball, he was found to have a blood alcohol level of .587, about seven times the legal limit of .08.

They both face up to 20 years in prison if convicted and prosecutors are debating if another person in the home at the time of Ball’s death will be charged.

“I am not here to make parenting decisions for people,” Uinta County Attorney Loretta Gerrard said. “What I hope people understand, however, is that some traditional parenting lore, wives tales or theories don’t apply in an age where we have refined products that accelerate the effect of chemicals on the human body.”